Mutatus
by Beck1
Summary: An evening out with her friend Vicki turns into something more as Sara faces a challenge for the blade.


Mutatus  
  
Rated R for language  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Call it a case of imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.  
  
  
  
Int. Bar  
  
Camera pans in on a group of young women sitting at a circular table in a bar. They are laughing and drinking. Suddenly a man comes into view, and without warning grabs one of the girls (Vanessa) by the elbow.  
  
Sasha: (shouts) Vanessa!  
  
Brady: You stay out of this, bitch! (drags Vanessa away from the table. She struggles, beating futilely at him with her balled up fists. He drags her down a hallway, past the rest rooms, out a rear door.)  
  
Vanessa: Brady, please! You're hurting me!  
  
Brady: Good! Maybe you'll finally understand how much you hurt me!  
  
Int. Bar  
  
Sara and Vicki are sitting inside the same bar, when from the other side of the room a commotion starts up.  
  
Sara: Ooh, bar fight!  
  
Vicki: (puts her head in her hands and groans) Oh no.  
  
Sara: Oh come on Vic, where's your sense of adventure? (standing up and draining her glass)  
  
Shouts of help come from across the room.  
  
Sara runs to the other side of the club, Vicki close behind. Sara flashes her badge.  
  
Sara: What's going on here?  
  
Melinda: He took Vanessa! (tearful, frightened)  
  
Vicki: Who took Vanessa?  
  
(Sara glances at Vicki like she's thinking 'that's my line!')  
  
Melinda: Brady took her, he took her out there! (points down hallway to the open door)  
  
(Sara notices the Witchblade glowing and looks at it)  
  
Flash of a struggle  
  
Sara: Vic, call for backup. (Sara takes off down the hall)  
  
Ext bar.  
  
Brady is lying on the ground, as is Vanessa. Sara checks for a pulse on the closest body, Brady, and doesn't find one. Sara looks around and up. She catches the edge of a black coat quickly disappearing out of view.  
  
Sara (whispering): Nottingham.  
  
Sara moves to the next body, Vanessa. As she touches her, Vanessa groans.  
  
The sound of crying can be heard faintly. Sara spins, trying to locate the source. She finds another woman, Sasha, hiding behind a dumpster, crying. Sasha has a bloodied lip.  
  
Sara: Are you all right?  
  
Sasha wipes away tears and nods.  
  
Sasha: Yeah, I'm okay. I followed them out and . . . is Vanessa okay?  
  
Sara glances back to Vanessa, now being tended to by Vicki who has come out the same door Sara did.  
  
Sara: Yeah, I think she'll be okay. (Sara notices a spilled purse and begins putting the contents back into it, lipstick, mascara, etc)  
  
Sara hands the purse to Sasha and then shows Sasha her badge.  
  
Sara: Don't I know you?  
  
Sasha: Yeah, I work in admin. (Flash of Sasha, dressed nicely sitting at a computer in the precinct)  
  
Sara: Thought so. What happened? (nodding back toward Brady and Vanessa)  
  
Sasha: He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out here. I followed them. When I got to the door he was trying to choke her . . . (bursts into tears)  
  
Sara: Shhhh..it's okay. (hugs Sasha)  
  
Int Precinct  
  
Sara is taking a statement from Vanessa, who crying silently, large tears running down her face. Danny is sitting beside Vanessa.  
  
Vanessa: I broke up with him last week. I just wanted to forget, just have a night out with my friends. Oh God . . . I can't believe he's dead.  
  
Danny: Did you see who attacked him?  
  
Vanessa shakes her head.  
  
Vanessa: No, it was dark. He was . . . he was choking me. I was seeing spots in front of my eyes. (she rubs at her throat)  
  
Sara: Can you remember anything else? Anything else at all?  
  
Vanessa: I heard Sasha yell at him and he smacked her . . . then everything just went dark. (She shrugs rather helplessly)  
  
Int. Irons Mansion  
  
Ian is standing in front of the fire, his eyes closed.  
  
Irons: She will come seeking you.  
  
Ian nods.  
  
Ian: Yes.  
  
Irons: You sought only to watch her, to protect her.  
  
Ian: Unheeded flew the time.  
  
Irons (smiling): How noiseless falls the foot of time. (His face takes on a serious look) The threat to the blade, in Achilles' guise, still exists. The fair Sara needs our guidance, but she should be allowed to use the blade to seek her own answers. Consider it a test.  
  
Ian nods.  
  
  
  
Int. Morgue  
  
Sara: What we got, Vic?  
  
Vicki: Pretty much what we already knew. Brady Sloan, age 25. Fractured hyoid, indicative of strangulation. Bruising around the neck. He was choked.  
  
Sara: So he was choking Vanessa and then someone choked him? Fitting.  
  
Vicki (nodding): Whoever choked him was either pretty darned strong or on a serious adrenaline rush. The hyoid was barely recognizable, crushed.  
  
Sara has a flashback of Ian grasping her hand  
  
(from Season One, Thanatopsis, interrogation room:  
  
Sara tries to tug her hand out of Ian's grasp.  
  
Sara: Let go .. of my hand.  
  
Ian still holds her hand firmly.  
  
Sara: Let go.)  
  
Vision ends.  
  
Sara: I'm betting on the former.  
  
Ext. Road  
  
Sara in an unmarked car, a look of determination on her face as she drives.  
  
Int. Irons Mansion  
  
Sara walks into the room and stands in front of the fireplace, her gun drawn.  
  
Sara: Nottingham!  
  
Ian comes down the stairs silently. He stops at the bottom step.  
  
Ian: Sara.  
  
Sara spins, startled. She didn't hear him come down. She points the gun at him and he holds his arms wide.  
  
Sara: Want to tell me where you were last night?  
  
Ian: You already know.  
  
Sara: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you . . .  
  
Ian: There is no need for that, Sara. I am your willing prisoner. (holds his hands out to her)  
  
Sara: in a court of law. (her cell phone rings and she digs it out of her pocket)  
  
Sara (into phone): Pezinni (she looks up at Ian as if daring him to try anything)  
  
Jake (over phone): Pez, Sasha is here, waiting for you to take a statement from her. You busy? Want me to take it?  
  
Sara: Yeah, Jake. That would be great. I'm bringing in a suspect right now. (glares at Ian)  
  
Jake: Sure thing, Pez.  
  
Sara stuffs the phone back into her jacket pocket.  
  
Sara: Let's go, Nottingham. (she waves the gun)  
  
Ian: Are you not going to cuff me, Sara? Frisk me? Search my . . . costume? (he pouts exaggeratedly)  
  
Sara rolls her eyes, then seems to consider it, his odd choice of words peaking her interest.  
  
Sara: You have any weapons on you? (raising eyebrow)  
  
Ian: I would never harm you, Sara, but yes, I am armed.  
  
Sara sighs in exasperation and moves forward toward Ian, patting him down. The look on his face is blissful. She pulls a sword out from beneath his coat. A knife from his pocket. The weapons just keep stacking up.  
  
Sara: Geez, Nottingham. Got a permit for any of these?  
  
Ian: For all of them.  
  
Sara: Any other weapons I missed.  
  
Ian: Yes, but they are attached. (he raises his hands)  
  
Sara gives him a look.  
  
Int. Precinct  
  
Jake and Sasha are sitting across from each other in the office. Sasha is dressed nicely, a lace blouse and skirt, her hair and nails done flawlessly.  
  
Jake: So then he hit you?  
  
Sasha: Yes, I was knocked backwards. Vanessa was just lying there, not moving and (loses her voice, afraid to say anything else or she will burst into tears again.)  
  
Jake gives her time to recover, his hand resting on her shoulder.  
  
Jake (nodding): How long did you say you've been in administration? (he's looking at her, obviously attracted)  
  
Sasha (looking up at Jake, smiling): Just over a year.  
  
Jake (looking abashed): I know this probably isn't the best time to say anything, but um, would you like to go out sometime?  
  
Sasha: I'd like that very much, Detective McCartey.  
  
Sara walks in and hangs up her jacket. Jake and Sasha both look a little guilty.  
  
Sara: Hi Sasha. Jake. I've got a suspect in holding. Do you think you could identify the person who killed Brady from a lineup, Sasha?  
  
Sasha: I don't know Detective. It was so dark and I had been hit. (she tugs at the hem of her skirt with perfectly manicured nails).  
  
Sara nods and lays a hand over Sasha's.  
  
Sara: Will you at least try?  
  
Sasha: I'll try. You have pretty eyes, Sara. You should wear makeup sometimes.  
  
Sara pulls her hand away, suddenly self conscious.  
  
Sara: Yeah well, in my line of work . . . (uncomfortable pause) I'll go get a lineup together. (Sara exits hastily, the door not quite closing completely).  
  
Sasha: She's so pretty. It's a shame she doesn't try to be more feminine.  
  
Jake (looks startled): Who? Pez? (he shrugs) She's like one of the guys.  
  
Sara stands in the hallway and overhears. She frowns and then she is assaulted by a WB vision.  
  
Jeanne d'Arc in a cell, her clothing is torn and filthy, but obviously man's clothing. Several well dressed men and priests stand around her.  
  
Priest (reading) . . . all examples of dissolute living, and to drive others thereto. (addressing Jeanne) What have you to say to this Article?  
  
Jeanne: I have not blasphemed God nor His Saints.  
  
Priest: But, Jeanne, the Holy Canons and Holy Writ declare that women who take men's dress or men who take women's dress, do a thing abominable to God. How then can you say that you took this dress at God's command?  
  
Jeanne: You have been answered. If you wish that I should answer you further, grant me delay, and I will answer you.  
  
Priest: Will you not take the dress of a woman to receive your Savior on Easter Day?"  
  
Jeanne: Neither for that nor for anything else will I yet put off my dress. I make no difference between man's dress and woman's dress for receiving my Savior. I ought not to be refused for this question of dress.  
  
Sara blinks and then shakes her head, continuing down the hallway.  
  
  
  
Int. Police Lineup  
  
Six men are lined up against the lineup wall. One of them is Ian Nottingham. On the opposite side of the glass stand Sara, Jake, Danny and Sasha.  
  
Jake: Do you recognize any of these men as being the one who attacked Brady Sloan?  
  
Sasha: Number four looks familiar.  
  
Sara (presses intercom button): Number four! Step forward and then turn to the side.  
  
The man does as requested. It is Nottingham. Sara inhales sharply, but Danny gives her a head shake (implying she shouldn't lead the witness).  
  
Sasha: No, no, that's not him. (she looks confused, reaches into her purse and pulls out some lipgloss and applies it).  
  
Sara and Danny exchange a glance. Danny shrugs almost imperceptibly.  
  
Sasha: The guy beside him maybe.  
  
Danny: To the left or right?  
  
Sasha: The left.  
  
Danny: Three.  
  
Sara (presses intercom button): Number Three. Same procedure, step forward and then turn to the side.  
  
The man does as requested.  
  
Sasha: That's him! That's the guy that killed Brady!  
  
Sara looks at Nottingham through the one way glass. Nottingham turns his head slightly, staring back towards Sara, even though he shouldn't be able to see her. Sara blinks and steps back.  
  
Int. Hallway, Precinct  
  
Sara catches up to Ian just as he is getting ready to exit out the door. He pauses, sensing her behind him and speaks without turning around.  
  
Ian: Come to give me a ride home?  
  
Sara (looks surprised): Um, noooo. I came to tell you that . . . (she looks down at the floor) (quietly) . . . that I'm sorry.  
  
Ian (turns to face her): You were following your instincts, Sara. You were not listening to the Witchblade, but rather believing what you thought you saw. If appearances are deceitful, then they do not deserve any confidence when they assert what appears to them to be true.  
  
Sara: What's that supposed to mean?  
  
Ian: I was there, but I did not kill anyone. I was but a sad Arlechinno, wishing for Columbina.  
  
Sara (looks at Nottingham incredulously): You were there? Why didn't you tell me?! (irate)  
  
Ian (sad): You never gave me a chance, Sara.  
  
Sara: I'm giving you a chance now. Who killed Brady Sloan?  
  
Ian: If you will excuse me, Sara. It is a long walk home. (he exits)  
  
Sara (shouting out the door): Nottingham!  
  
  
  
Int. Gabe's shop  
  
Gabe is examining the cover of an old book. The phone rings. He searches for it for a moment, then answers.  
  
Gabriel: Talismaniac. Need a lucky charm? We have 'em!  
  
Sara (standing in the hallway of the precinct): Hey Gabe, it's Sara. Listen, can you tell me anything about the clothes Joan of Arc wore?  
  
Gabriel: Charles the seventh, the Dauphin, gave her a suit of white armor. Is that what you mean?  
  
Sara: Hmm. Yes. No. Maybe.  
  
Gabriel (laughing): Well which is it? (he suddenly breaks into a fit of coughing) Sorry. I think I'm coming down with something.  
  
Sara: Hope you're okay. Cough sounds nasty.  
  
Gabriel: I'm sure I'll be fine.  
  
Sara: Anything else on Joan's clothes?  
  
Gabriel: One of the crimes she was accused of at her trial was wearing men's clothing, supposedly a crime against God at the time.  
  
Sara (looking down at herself): Geez. Good thing that one's off the books.  
  
Gabriel (laughing): Yeah. While she was in jail she was given women's clothing, but chose to wear her old men's clothing instead. That was, of course, seen as defiance.  
  
Sara: Why'd she do that if she knew it would get her . . . um, toasted?  
  
Gabriel: There has been speculation that someone was sent to her cell to abuse her in order to tempt her to go back to wearing men's clothes. More protection from pants than a skirt, I guess.  
  
Sara (her voice is distant as she sees Sasha and Jake walking down the hall arm in arm): Yeah. Thanks, Gabriel. (breaks the connection)  
  
Gabriel: No problem (looks at phone, realizing it's a dial tone) . . . Chief. (he breaks into an even more violent fit of coughing and collapses on the floor)  
  
Sara: Sasha! Jake! Wait up!  
  
Sasha and Jake turn to face Sara.  
  
Jake: Hey Sara, what's up?  
  
Sara: I just needed to ask Sasha a question. (smiles, speaking to Sasha) Listen, after Brady was killed did you go to the hospital or anything?  
  
Sasha (frowning slightly): Um, yes, I went to have the cut on my lip checked. Luckily it didn't need stitches.  
  
Sara: Okay, thanks. Just needed to know for the paperwork. (turns and leaves quickly, pulling her phone back out of her pocket)  
  
Sara (into phone): Hey Vic, check something out for me would you? (glancing back over her shoulder at Jake and Sasha who are walking away)  
  
  
  
Int. Morgue  
  
Vicki is studying a sheath of papers.  
  
Vicki: Huh. That's odd. Figures. It's a Pez case. (shakes her head and goes to the phone)  
  
  
  
Int. Gym  
  
Sara is working out at the punching bag. She is alone and punching the bag for all she is worth. Once she finally exhausts herself, she lies down on the mat.  
  
Sasha enters. She is dressed ultra-feminine, lace blouse, dress suit and high heels.  
  
Sasha: Hello, Sara.  
  
Sara (panting): Hey. How'd you find me?  
  
Sasha: I ditched Jake and followed you.  
  
Sara gives Sasha a confused look.  
  
Sasha: You lied about the paperwork.  
  
Sara: You know why I asked then. You killed Brady Sloan. You were at the club following me, because you want this (holds up her arm bearing the Witchblade). You probably didn't mean to kill Brady, but you were protecting Vanessa.  
  
Sasha nods and pulls out a handgun.  
  
Sasha: Very good, detective. Now give me the Witchblade.  
  
Sara: Uh...no.  
  
Sasha fires at Sara. Sara raises her arm, the bracelet form of the WB morphing into the gauntlet and deflecting the bullet.  
  
Sasha: So it is true. It does protect the wielder fully.  
  
Sara retains her defensive stance.  
  
Sara: Why are you doing this? You could get off with manslaughter for Brady's death, maybe even walk. Why make matters worse by attacking me?  
  
Sasha: I've been through a lot that I might have the Witchblade, Sara. It took me years to find out where it was. And an even greater sacrifice that I might wield it.  
  
Sara sees a WB vision of Sasha as a man.  
  
Sasha: But don't worry, Sara. You give me the Witchblade and I'll give you the antidote.  
  
Sara: Antidote? (her eyebrows shoot up)  
  
Sasha: Yes, your little friend Gabriel won't live much longer without it.  
  
Sara looks horrified.  
  
Sasha (laughing lightly): You see airborne contaminants are so easily transmitted on say something like, oh I don't know...old books?  
  
Sara advances on Sasha.  
  
Sasha: Tsk, tsk, detective. Harm me and Gabriel dies. (her voice is icy cold) The Witchblade, if you please.  
  
Sara's cell phone, which is sitting atop a pile of her clothes, rings. Both Sara and Sasha look at it, Sasha twisting her ankle as she attempts to turn in the high heels. Sasha cries out and bends over, clutching her ankle. Sara takes advantage of the diversion and launches herself through the air, the gauntlet form of the Witchblade hitting Sasha square on the chin.  
  
Sara: I don't think so. (standing over an unconscious Sasha)  
  
Sara grabs the ringing phone and answers it.  
  
  
  
Int. Precinct  
  
Sasha is being led away in cuffs by a uniformed officer. Jake, Danny and Sara are standing at the coffeepot.  
  
Jake: I can't believe she . . . he . (shakes his head)  
  
Sara (clapping Jake on the back): She had us all fooled, Rookie.  
  
Danny: So how's your friend, Gabriel?  
  
Sara (smiling): He'll be okay. He got the antidote and should be out of the hospital by tomorrow at the latest according to his doctor. (Sara puts her cup down) I'll see you guys later.  
  
Jake: Take care, Pez.  
  
Danny: Later, partner.  
  
Sara waves and exits the precinct. She walks through the parking lot to find Ian leaning against her Buell.  
  
Ian: I see you found Achilles' heel.  
  
Sara (smiling): I suppose I did. Still need a ride home there, Harlequin?  
  
Ian: Is Columbina offering?  
  
Sara: No, Sara is offering, by way of a thank you. Take it or leave it. (grins)  
  
Ian smiles.  
  
The End. 


End file.
